


The Royal Three

by lsegerst



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Audrey and Ben date for a little bit, Bal is mentioned, Ben has anxiety, But it isn't endgame, Chad is occasionally a dick but it's justified, Explicit Language, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-20 13:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14262192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lsegerst/pseuds/lsegerst
Summary: Audrey, Ben, and Chad have been friends for years but when Auradon starts to change, they do too. Audrey finds herself worrying about what the future will bring. Chad is haunted by the doubts of his past re-emerging and he begins to wonder if the arrogant demeanor he's worn was ever worth it or if, in the end, it only hurt him. Ben strives to be the one thing everyone expects him to be: perfect. Only he realizes that he is anything but and with the weight of the world on his shoulders, sometimes he feels like nothing more than just a kid who was growing up a little too fast.With the arrival of the VKs, their friendship is tested and as time passes they all begin to wonder if maybe they weren't meant to be friends in the first place. Hear the story of the Royal Three, their ups and downs, and just how they came to be.





	1. Ben and Birthdays Just Don't Mix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben hosts a sleepover based on a tradition and tries to ignore the feelings he thinks he might have, Audrey gets scared and overreacts slightly, and Chad? Well, Chad is just there for the snacks.

Ben scrambled up from the couch as he heard the familiar call of Lumiere, announcing to him that he had visitors. After glancing at his watch he realized that they were early, sure it was their weekly get together that was scheduled for this time, but usually the other two were a no-show until about an hour later. Ben was so used to it at this point that half the time even he wasn’t ready for them to show up on time. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready, technically he was dressed and showered but he was about halfway through a new book in his favorite series that he would now have to wait to finish. He loved his friends, he really did, but he had been itching to find out what would happen to his beloved characters for months now.

Still, he put the bookmark in its place, closed the book, and made his way through the castle to find two familiar faces excitedly talking to each other, laughter escaping his lips. Ben felt his own smile spread on his face right as he saw them, the feeling of annoyance at not being able to finish the book already fading away.

“Hey Benny-Boo.” Audrey said with a smile, glancing over and tearing her gaze away from Chad.

“You guys are early.” Ben simply stated, a teasing smile pulling at his lips.

Chad instantly wrapped his arm around Ben, “Duh, dude. Today is special so Audrey and I wanted to be here for as long as we could.”

He rolled his eyes at his best friend’s antics, “You just want to mooch off of all of our food.”

“Bingo!” Chad responded, already releasing Ben and making a beeline for the kitchen.

Ben couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked over to Audrey, instantly thinking about how perfect she looked. It was a passing thought and he ignored it, they were simply friends and that’s all they would be. Not to mention, he wouldn’t want to ruin what the three of them had, it was special. They were his best friends, they had grown up together and the two of them had helped Ben with any problem he had ever faced. He couldn’t imagine his life without them in it, even when the conversation got dry and repetitive and Ben got sick of hearing about all of the new gossip. Sure, there were times the conversation got old, but they never did, not really.

Nights like this were part of the reason why. It was a tradition at this point and like any royal tradition, they died hard. Ever since they were kids, they would get together one night a week for a sleepover and watch movies or tell scary stories, or even have really deep conversations until the early hours of the morning. The day of the week had changed over the years as their schedules did and the older the got, the more they spent their time doing different things. Still, the concept behind it never changed and neither did the people involved. They had all made tons of friends, they were popular and Chad and Audrey knew it, they almost flaunted it.

Ben, on the other hand, never much thought about it, certainly not enough to debate whether or not he was. He just knew he had a lot of people he cared about and had made plenty of friends over the years. But, no matter how many friends they made or how large their social circle expanded, all three of them followed the unspoken rule of never inviting anyone else to these nights. Because these nights were for them and though they often started off like any other simple hang out, they usually turned into a moment of vulnerability by the end of the night. Secrets were shared and fears voiced, it was a way to deal with a lot of the pressure they all faced. One night where the immaculate facades they always kept up could fade away for a few hours. Adding anyone else into the mix would ruin that.

At this point, most of the old secrets had already been told and they weren’t kept from each other for long because of this weekly meetup. But, they all knew each other too well. When something was revealed, most times, it didn’t come as a shock to the other two. That didn’t matter though, they would always be there for the other two, through thick and thin. Ben liked to think that even though all of their parents had been friends and that was how their friendship started, that at this point, they had chosen each other. That they would continue to choose each other, long into life even after they were adults and married and had kids of their own.

He heard Chad rifling through the cupboards and held in a laugh as he entered the room to see him with food shoved into his mouth. Ben raised an eyebrow at it all, it wasn’t like Chad didn’t have food that was just as good at his own palace.

Audrey strolled over, a hop in her step, as she went over and plucked an apple from Chad’s hand. “The food here is always so much better. I’m so sick of everything at home, it’s always the same thing.”

“You can thank Mrs. Potts for that.” He could admit, he had gotten pretty lucky in the chef department.

“Yeah man, seriously. You have something different every single time we come.” Chad said, speaking with a mouthful of food.

“Is that why you two insisted on only having these things here?” Ben said, reaching out and taking a small piece of food before plopping it into his mouth.

“Uh, yeah. Why else would we?” Chad replied, his face scrunched up slightly as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.

There was another thing Ben enjoyed about these little nights. None of them had to act like royalty. They were equals, or as close to equals as they could be but Ben had never been one to hold his position over anyone. It wasn’t like this was some royal event either, where they were expected to act a certain way even if only the three of them were in the room alone. All three of them could relax and let loose, saying whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted no matter how informal it was. They didn’t have to be princes or princess or soon to be kings and it was the greatest feeling in the world for Ben to just feel normal. No cameras, no media, no questions, and absolutely no fake smiles.

If nothing else proved it, the way they dressed at these occasions gave it away instantly. Ben was someone who wouldn’t be caught dead in anything except a suit or at the very least in dress pants of some kind. Chad was the same way and even Audrey nearly always was in a dress or skirt that was tailored to her body. It was because of who they were, they had to look a certain way, they were expected to. At this point in his life, Ben would have felt entirely uncomfortable and vulnerable if he showed up at school dressed like some of the other kids, in just a t-shirt and pair of jeans. But, all of that was thrown out the window when it was just them and they could be themselves without judgement. Audrey sometimes still wore dresses, but not because she was required to but because she liked them.

She was perfect princess in every sense and she loved it. Audrey had always enjoyed the attention and cameras and fancy outfits that came with being royalty. She thought it was fun and she cared about fashion and appearances, which wasn’t a bad thing. It was simply something she liked, fashion was a hobby of sorts. But there were times where even she showed up in simple clothes like leggings or jeans. Of course she always made up for it with accesories but it made her happy to look good. Even if the only people seeing her were the two boys she had grown up with and seen her at her most embarrassing moments.

Chad was the polar opposite and though at school was always dressed nicely and looked like he should be ruling from a throne, not stopping at his locker, at these little get-togethers, he would seem unrecognizable to his other classmates. He showed up in sweat pants and old t-shirts or sweatshirts, clothes that made him look like he was going to bed or Tourney practice. But it prevented the need for him to ever have to change and he could be an exceptionally lazy person.

Ben had always been somewhere in the middle. While finding too weird for himself to dress as casually as Chad, he also just didn’t see the need to keep up the appearance that he was perfect. His hair could be messy and untameable, he didn’t always have a smile on his face, and he certainly didn’t lounge around in the comfort of his own home in a suit and tie. So, he would pull on one of the only pairs of jeans that he owned and usually just throw on the closest shirt or sweatshirt he could find in his closet. Still, it was a nice reminder that there were all still just kids, no matter their birthright or what they knew they would have to one day inherit.

“I actually voted for it for the movie room. With that huge library of yours, I wouldn’t think that the theater would be that great but it really is the best.” Audrey smirked, playfully leaning into Ben.

“I’ve always thought Chad’s was better.” Ben admitted.

Chad shrugged, “Mine has a bigger screen but yours has comfier seats.”

“It’s totally because they are meant for a king.” Audrey said, getting a tad closer to Ben.

It took everything to not read too much into it, she had always been a touchy-feely person. Still he couldn’t help but wonder why she had put so much emphasis on the final word in her sentence. It could mean a lot and he was not in the mood to sit there and try and figure it out, this was supposed to be relaxing after all.

“Which is why they’re perfect for me.” Chad said, flashing a smile in Ben’s direction, “Now come on, I’m in the mood for something I can laugh at. Also, I’m bringing all of this food with me.”

Ben rolled his eyes once more as he watched the blonde run off down the halls, an exuberant amount of snacks being carefully carried in his arms. He looked over to Audrey, “What about you? Anything special you want to watch?”

“You should choose today, Chad chose two weeks ago and I chose last week. It’s your turn.” She pointed out.

Contrary to popular belief, he knew his friends cared about him. Sure, he had seen that they could be selfish, full of themselves, and arrogant. He heard the whispers from some of the kids at Prep who hadn’t been as lucky to be born into royalty, he heard what they said about his friends, how they could treat others that weren’t like them. But, he knew that they were so much more that, that they had love and care in their hearts that they sometimes concealed. Sometimes, they just didn’t show it in conventional ways. Sometimes, they showed it by pushing someone to choose the movie.

Ben shrugged, “You know I don’t like choosing. I don’t want anyone to be let down by a movie I choose.”

She pouted, “Benny-bear, you care way too much. It’s just a silly movie, we hardly pay attention to it anyways.”

Audrey did have a point, usually a movie that three of them didn’t really care about or one they had already seen was put on so they could spend the time talking and pretending to watch the movie.

“Fine,” He gave in, “I’ll choose the movie this week.”

A satisfied smile spread on her face, “Good.” Then she followed after Chad, her ponytail bouncing slightly as she walked.

Ben stood there, staring at her for a moment and wondering if he really had read too much into her actions or not. When he heard her call him by the nickname he secretly hated, he quickly jogged over to catch up to her. She had been calling him it for years now and it had started with ‘Benny’ when they were kids. He had never minded that, it was simple and almost cute but the variations she had created of it now were just plain embarrassing. He put up with it though because he liked her and she seemed to get some amusement out of it.

After finally making it into the theater room, he saw Chad sitting there on the floor already flipping through movies, one hand on the remote and another in a bag of popcorn. Audrey sat down next to him and Ben joined the both of them, crossing his legs. Chad motioned to a table in the corner of the room before nodding at a couple of decorations that were strung up around the dark room.

“I hope that’s cake on that table.”

Ben laughed, “Yeah, Mom knew you guys were coming over and she refused to leave the place empty even though I told her I really didn’t care. But, she didn’t believe me.”

“Of course she didn’t.” Audrey reached out and tapped the tip of his nose, “Because you’re lying. It’s okay to want things, Benny, you do deserve them after all.”

“Yeah, seriously dude. You always get so uptight around this time of year, it’s like you forget we’re royalty. It’s super annoying.” Chad rolled his eyes.

Ben shot them both a look, but the guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach didn’t leave with their words. He was someone who didn’t like asking for anything, it wasn’t that he thought he was undeserving of things, he just felt at times that there were people who needed things more than he did. It was why around his birthday, he got, what was according to Chad, uptight. His parents would pester him and ask him what he wanted and he struggled to come up with an answer. There really wasn’t anything that he wanted, that he didn’t already have. If there was something he wanted, birthday or not, he could have gotten it at the snap of his fingers. Usually, he used his birthday as an excuse to give gifts to those he thought were truly deserving of them, for reasons more complex than the family they had been born into.

“Yeah! Come on, you should be happy. You’re fifteen now, that means you’ve got just a year until your king.”

Ben let out a loud groan, pulling the hood of the simple Auradon Prep hoodie that he wore over his head and falling back, “Don’t remind me.”

Even though he was hiding hiding his face with his hood, he didn’t need to see them to feel that his words had shifted the mood. It wasn’t like he was expecting anything different, he knew the implications it would have especially because up until now, he had been nothing but enthusiastic about the event. There were nights the other two would tell him to be quiet because he would go off on a rant about every single thing he was going to do, about how he was going to make Auradon, a place already considered perfect, even better. He had lists and lists of amendments and ideas, notebooks filled with what he wanted to do and the other two knew it. Initially, there was silence and Ben didn’t feel like being the one to break it this time.

“If you don’t want it, I will gladly trade spots.” Chad said, laughing softly but it was pointless. Ben could tell the laugh was faked, an awkward attempt at making the situation feel more normal. “Are you okay?” This time the question was posed with seriousness, genuine concern.

Ben shook his head back and forth, “No.” It was harder to answer the question aloud than he thought it would be. There had also been a tiny voice inside his head that told him to lie, to sit up and laugh it off and make something up. But the young prince was a terrible liar, especially to those that knew him best.

“Ben, what’s going on?” Audrey asked in a worried tone, dropping the nickname entirely.

Ben opened his mouth and willed the words to come out but they didn’t, it was like they were lodged in his throat and he suddenly felt like vomiting. He swallowed the feeling down and as he did, the words managed to escape his lips, “I don’t know, cold feet I guess. I want this but a year isn’t long and I don’t know if I’ll be ready. I don’t think I can handle it. I’ll be sixteen, just a kid, how am I supposed to run an entire country?”

He pushed up from the floor, the hood falling back down as he looked at the other two for the first time. They just sat there with stunned expressions, he knew why. They both wanted to be in his position so badly but it was easy for them to want it and know that they would never actually be in it. At least not as such a young age.He didn’t think they would realize it because they couldn’t. Ben hadn’t even until recently and it was just starting to sink in how close the date was approaching.

“I spent my entire life wanting to grow up, to just jump into the future to when I had been crowned already. I was so excited, it was the one thing I truly wanted that I didn’t already have. Now, when it is so close, I can’t help but wish that I had spent time as kid while I had the chance instead of trying to grow up so fast.” He sighed, “Now it’s too late and I’m freaked out I’m going to do everything wrong. I’m scared I’m going to let everyone down because they all have these high expectations of me and they want me to be a certain way and I’m not sure I’ll be the way they want me to be.”

“Don’t say that, man. Look, you are going to make a great king. You’re ready for this whether you realize it or not.” Chad’s voice faltered for a second, “I joke about wanting to be king but I don’t think I’d be able to handle it, not right now at least, and I’d never be as good of a one as you’ll be. You’re meant for this and not just because you were born into it. As long as you are yourself, everyone is going to love you. They all already do.” There was something in Chad’s tone Ben rarely heard: jealousy. It wasn’t spiteful or hateful, but the words revealed that in a way, the blonde might have envied him.

Audrey nodded enthusiastically, “Chad’s right. And maybe you won’t feel ready for it ever but I know I believe in you and how you’ll rule. I’m ready for that day to come.”

Ben raised an eyebrow, doubtful of their words, “Seriously?”

“Would we ever lie to you, Ben?” Audrey smiled, reaching out and taking his hand in hers, giving it a small squeeze. “Besides, you’ve still got one year left to be a kid, we won’t let you go off and get all boring on us too quickly.”

Chad smirked, “If you happen to get cold feet the day of your coronation, I’d be happy to step in, just give me a head’s up.”

The words, while calming, didn’t immediately quell all of his fears. When he looked up at them and saw the concern etched in their faces, he realized he was unsure if his two friends would ever fully understand the extent of his fears. They would never be in the situation that he was in, they would never experience what he was dealing with, they didn’t grow up the same way he did even if their lifestyles were similar. Ben had always done more, more clubs, more duties, more responsibilities, more difficult classes. The other two got away with doing really whatever they wanted and Ben, for the most part, did as well. But unlike the other two, he had to do a lot of things he didn’t want to. He had to travel with his parents for events, he had to study for every class to have an A, he had to read through the documents his father received because his parents wanted him to be prepared. There was so much he had to do, so many things that he hated doing that some days he felt trapped.

Audrey and Chad were incapable of relating to this but their obvious worry and love for Ben was enough for him to learn that even if they couldn’t understand, that didn’t mean they cared any less. Silence settled among the three of them, with Ben unsure of what more to say, the feelings he had been so intent on burying all threatening to emerge at once. He didn’t want to express his fears but he had been bottling it up for so long, he didn’t know what else to do with them at this point.

“What if I hate it?” He finally asked quietly.

“You won’t.” Chad countered, “I know you won’t. I’ve seen that look in your eye when you convince your dad to pass something that you came up with. We’ve both seen how excited you get whenever you get a new idea in your head, and as annoying as it can be when you won’t stop talking about it, your love for this shows.”

“What if the people hate me?” Ben asked the follow-up question with a voice that was shakier than he had wished.

“Benjamin, I just had to push you to choose a movie because you didn’t want to choose one that Chad or I wouldn’t like. It’s impossible to not like someone like you, you care so much about everyone.”

Just as Audrey finished speaking, her phone went off and she pulled away from Ben, releasing his hand so she could check the notifications. She frowned, her lips parting slightly and a look of almost pained sadness crossing her features. Before Ben got the chance to ask her about it, Chad, who wasn’t paying attention to her, spoke up.

“You don’t even need to worry. Whenever you want a vacation from the king stuff after you’re crowned or if it all gets to be too much I’ll be right there for you, ready to step in and take over.”

Ben playfully punched him in the shoulder and let out a relaxed laugh, “You’re right. I’ve got all year to stress about this, I should enjoy tonight.”

Immediately as he finished speaking, he looked back over to Audrey who’s grip on her phone had tightened so much, her knuckles were turning white and one glance at her eyes told Ben that she was trying not to cry. “Audrey? What’s wrong?” He asked the question quietly and her head snapped up, the tears that were forming in her eyes now more obvious than before.

She shook her head and put on a smile, an action Ben had seen her do hundreds of times in public, but never here. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.”

“Yeah, Audrey, anyone could tell that.” Chad’s words may have sounded harsh but he meant well and she knew it.

“It’s my father, he just texted me and told me they’re thinking about sending me to boarding school.” A small sob escaped her throat, “Something about broadening my horizons.” The tears started to fall and Ben immediately moved next to her, pulling her into a hug.

He made eye contact with Chad who was already standing and stepping out of the room, pulling out his phone as he did so. Ben pulled Audrey closer and she immediately lost it entirely, her tears soaking his sweatshirt. He just felt angry, mad at her parents for trying to send her away because they thought it would be good for her. It would ruin what the three of them had, it would ruin these nights where they could cry and scream and shout to each other, where they could care about things that weren’t supposed to matter but did.

“It’s okay, we won’t let that happen. You don’t need to go.” Ben knew from one glance at his blonde best friend that he was already calling to complain about it to his parents. Chad’s parents had influence and if he caused a big enough storm, they would talk to Audrey’s parents. Not to mention, the instant Ben brought it up to his own parents, they could really push for her to stay.

“I’m sorry, you were talking and then I just made this all about me,” She continued crying, “You’re always the one listening at these things and the one time you open up I just have to ruin it.”

Ben pulled back slightly so he could look her in the eyes, “Audrey, listen to me, you didn’t ruin anything. I like to listen, you know that. Besides, this is more important than anything I was saying.” He really didn’t care, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.

This time she was the one to hug him, “You’re always so nice, Benny-boo.”

For the first time, he was happy to hear the nickname because it meant that she was already starting to cheer up. A hiccup escaped her throat and she laughed, “I probably look like a complete mess now.”

She pulled back from the hug and Ben couldn’t help but laugh quietly, of all the things to worry about in the moment and she was fretting over her appearance. He wouldn’t have expected anything less. “You look beautiful, you couldn’t possibly ever look like a mess.”

Audrey wiped her eyes as Chad burst back into the room, a smug smile on his face and from the slight redness to his cheeks he had obviously been yelling at whoever was on the other side of the phone. It was most likely his parents, he would never speak with disrespect to anyone who was higher status than him that wasn’t family, which Audrey’s parents technically were. Ben was the only exception to that and even then, it was rare for him to say something that was meant to truly attack or hurt him.

“You don’t have anything to worry about anymore, I took care of all of it.”

Almost as if on cue, Audrey’s phone beeped once more and she pulled it out carefully, a smile spreading on her face. “You’re right! He just said that he talked to your parents and they see how it’s a terrible idea. Thank you.”

She stood up and enveloped Chad into a hug and Ben couldn’t help but realize he felt a pang of what felt like jealousy. But he shouldn’t have, they were all just friends and he didn’t feel that way about Audrey. At least, he didn’t think he did. So, like in most situations where he wasn’t entirely sure of what to do, he laughed and decided to smoothly change the subject to something more positive.

“Well, I say celebration is in order then. How about we cut into that cake and finally decide on a movie?”

While most nights, they worked up to sharing deep insecurities or fears until late in the night where their eyelids were so heavy they could fall asleep in seconds. That night, they had done something else entirely. Ben hadn’t been expecting to open up so quickly about something he had been hiding for months but it all just came out and Audrey certainly hadn’t been expecting such a scare. This time, the schedule had been flipped and so, the three of them settled into the comfy seats with a cake much larger than they could ever possibly finish and they simply watched a movie.

The three of them made silly comments throughout, laughing until tears blurred their vision and got far too passionate about a movie that none of them really cared for, shouting at the screen when a character would do something they wouldn’t agree with. As the night was winding down and they had just put on another cheesy movie, stuffed full from all of the cake they had eaten, they allowed themselves to simply fall asleep laughing and smiling. Ben fell asleep with the only thing on his mind being how much these two truly mattered to him, how he wanted to be friends with them for forever, and that he would do anything to always have nights like this. Because even though the night hadn’t been normal for them, it was a night mainly spent like how teenagers should spend it. Grinning until their faces hurt, swearing loudly, laughing at inappropriate jokes, and making memories that none of them would ever forget.

The Crown Prince had never particularly liked his birthday, because contrary to what would be expected, Ben did not enjoy being the center of attention. He had merely grown comfortable with it and on the bad days, he felt like shrinking away and hiding from all of the cameras and stares. It was something he had to get used to at a young age and would deal with even more when he became king. But his parents had always made a big deal of his birthday, they wanted it to be perfect for him. There were many times however that Ben did not want perfection, he was fine with what he had. So despite his parent’s protests, he told them that this year, all he wanted was this. It took convincing and he caved and promised his mother she could go all out the next year and make it bigger than any other party in the past. In the end, he had received the only gift he had asked for, a sleepover with his two best friends in their home theater. A gift he was eternally grateful for.

Ben never did forget these nights but this one in particular had always felt special to him for some reason. Even when he was eventually crowned king and he was stressed and anxious behind a mountain of paperwork, he thought back to their words of encouragement and it made him feel like he could do it. No matter what changed in the years that were to come, not once did the King ever forget what occurred during these sleepovers or how he felt about the two people he had the luxury of growing up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first time ever posting anything Descendants related and most definitely my first time exploring Audrey, Chad, and even Ben on a deeper level than how they are often portrayed in the movies so please forgive me if they are too OOC. This chapter works as an introductory chapter more than anything and the later ones will likely take a slightly more serious tone and delve deeper into all three of them. This is more to just set the foundation of their friendship, almost the calm before the storm if you will. I feel as though these three are often portrayed by a singular trait in the movies, Ben is naive, Audrey is mean, and Chad is arrogant. I hope to do them justice in some way and perhaps show that they really are more complex than those one-dimensional characters many see them as. Also, I feel like these three never get enough love and I hardly ever find any fic with a main focus on any of them so I figured I'd try at writing my own!


	2. Chad's Terror and All The Pain That Comes With It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chad realizes he maybe missed his chance, that he's more scared than he'd like to admit, and that sometimes you just can't agree with those you love most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is done a little differently from the last chapter, instead of focusing on one event in particular, it has a larger focus on Chad himself, going through a couple different events that occur but are connected. All of the events happen close to each other and all after Ben's 15th birthday. 
> 
> Also, just as a warning, there is a short flashback to an anxiety attack of sorts!

Chad had been in love with Audrey for as long as he could remember. She was loud, beautiful, and unafraid to share her opinion no matter who she was with. The girl was confident and carried herself like she knew she was better than everyone and in Chad’s eyes, she was. It wasn’t just because she was royalty, that was just a bonus and a way for him to justify his crush on her. Royalty married royalty and sure there were some exceptions but with her by his side, he didn’t need to be an exception.

When Ben called him one night, completely out of the blue and told him that they needed to meet up and talk just the two of them, Chad just felt worried. His best friend nearly always had a smile on his face and he was rarely serious unless it had something to do with his duties that were fast approaching. His coronation was still about a year away but Chad knew King Adam well enough to know that Ben was already pushed into leading council meetings and figuring out his first proclamation. He knew Ben was stressed, no matter how well he hid it and so he assumed that whatever he was calling about was a big deal.

After arriving in the courtyard of Auradon Prep long past the curfew to see Ben pacing frantically back and forth, nearly tripping into the fountain at one point, Chad’s fears intensified. This was Ben, the golden boy of the nation that never broke a rule yet here he was, pulling Chad from his slumber and breaking a rule that could get them long hours in detention. Fairy Godmother was more than strict on curfew and the punishments were always severe. The blonde couldn’t help but to continuously glance around, ready to jump behind a tree or bush at even the sound of another person. With the threat of facing Fairy Godmother’s wrath looming over his head, the boy couldn’t help but to be on edge.

When Ben finally noticed him, he stopped his pacing and sat down on the edge of the fountain, instead releasing what Chad assumed to be nerves by frantically bouncing his leg up and down. Chad lightly kicked his shin, not hard enough to even leave a mark but enough that he tore his gaze away from the ground and actually looked up at Chad.

“Dude knock it off, that shit’s giving me anxiety just watching you.”

An embarrassed blush filled Ben’s face and even in the darkness Chad could tell his ears had turned red. It occurred to him that Ben hadn’t even realized he was doing it, he almost never did. The prince has spent enough time around the king-to-be to know the signs that he was about to have a nervous breakdown. He had only seen him have one once in his life and it was purely because he walked into Ben’s room unannounced only to find him sitting on his bed, his head in his hands and the deafening sound of him trying to breath but failing entirely. The room had been trashed, nothing that was really broken but papers had been thrown everywhere and books scattered the floors, obviously pulled from their safe spot on the bookcase and thrown across the room. Chad didn’t think that Ben had even known he had entered until he scrambled forward grabbing him by the shoulder because he thought he had been attacked. Ben was a neat freak and everything was always perfectly organized, not a hair out of place. Not to mention, Chad knew Ben sometimes got stressed out, everyone did, but the guy always had it together better than most. The night he walked in on him, Chad learned he didn’t, he was just better at hiding it than everyone.

Chad was scared someone had attempted to hurt him, because the place looked like someone had broken in. Ben looked terrified and by the way he couldn’t catch his breath, it was the only rational conclusion. Sure, it was Auradon and things like that just didn’t happen but in Chad’s mind, it seemed more likely than Ben having a panic attack. When he touched him, Ben made a noise like he was choking and his head snapped up, making eye contact with Chad. At first there was fear in his eyes and Chad started asking a million questions but Ben didn’t give him any answers, his eyes just softened to a look of embarrassment. After Chad closed his mouth to wait and listen, Ben just grabbed onto to the blonde’s shirt and in shaky breaths said one thing.

“Don’t tell anyone, please Chad, don’t tell anyone.”

Chad was smart enough to figure out what had happened and while he had never been good with words and even worse at comforting others, he lowered himself onto the bed next to his friend and promised him he wouldn’t. After minutes of silence, Chad pushed himself to his feet and simply began picking up papers before saying, “How about we get this place cleaned up?”

It had taken Ben a long time to move but when he finally did, his breath was steady, his hands no longer shaking and the more he helped Chad to pick the place up, the calmer he became. He didn’t know how often these episodes occurred but ever since, he managed to pick up on tiny hints that Ben was getting really stressed. It was usually small things that he didn’t know he was doing, like tapping his foot or bouncing his leg. Chad still wasn’t great at the whole comforting thing but he managed to bring Ben back in different ways, usually with jokes or just plain crude comments. They had never spoken about the night since and Chad didn’t intend on ever bringing it up again but his method seemed to be effective and he hoped Ben wasn’t still going through things.

Now however, seeing him sit at the fountain worried and fidgety, Chad worried that another attack was coming on. “Come on man, spit it out already. I had to get out of bed for this, it’s like two in the morning.”

Ben simply laughed, the pink fading from his cheeks and signaling to Chad that it had managed to calm him down some. “Sorry,” he murmured, “I couldn’t sleep and I needed advice before I do something stupid.”

“I’m sure whatever you have in mind is fine.”

“I like Audrey,” Ben blurted, “I think I’m going to ask her out but I don’t know if she feels the same way about me. I don’t want to ruin things or make it awkward.”

It was the last thing Chad was expecting. He had prepared himself to give Ben the whole speech about how he was a great person and was doing great and was going to be an awesome leader. What he hadn’t been expecting was for his best friend to admit that he was into the same girl that Chad was interested in. He knew he should have felt happy for him, excited because he knew Audrey would say yes, after all this was Ben, who wouldn’t? He was the guy every single girl in the school and maybe even the country wanted to date. But he felt the opposite.

Chad was just mad, fuming even, he wanted to scream and shout until his voice was hoarse. He wanted to shove Ben into the fountain, he was upset, heartbroken because there went his chance. Chad knew he had no right to be angry, he hadn’t ever voiced his own feelings about Audrey to Ben and he knew that if he had, Ben would have never brought up the subject, he would let Chad ask her first. But it was his fault, his own fears that seemed to match Ben’s worries that made him keep it quiet and keep the secret from his best friend. It was frustrating, his entire life Chad felt like he came in second next to Ben.

Ben got the chance to be king, something Chad dreamed of, everyone liked Ben and they had always liked him more even back when they were little kids. Ben had absolutely everything, from the biggest castle to the most expensive clothes, and the only reason he even shared a dorm with Chad was because Ben had to fight for it and even that could change when he became king. He got to go on the grandest trips, he was the captain of the Tourney team even though everyone knew Chad was better at playing, a fact even Ben had admitted. He got to miss classes and come in late without ever getting in trouble and Fairy Godmother never once punished him after the multiple times she found him up past curfew in the library doing whatever it was he did. Chad knew Ben was smarter and all the teachers loved him and soon he was going to be the only student with his own office at the school.

In the beginning, Chad didn’t mind it, he almost saw it as friendly competition but that was back when they were kids. Now they were older and the blonde had long since realized it wasn’t a competition he ever had a chance at winning. Always being second best put a toll on him, he got tired of it and he knew people had noticed. So he grew confident to the point that it could seem like arrogance, he pointed out those who were less than him to distract from the fact that he would never be as good as his friend. His flaws were born from his insecurities and the realization that no matter how hard he tried, he could never be like Ben. He was perfect and sure Chad knew he could be hot-headed at times, but the guy was ridiculously good at everything he did. In every sense of the word, Ben was as close as humanly possible to being perfect and there were moments Chad hated it.

Just when he thought he might have a chance, it was gone again. He was coming in second once more and Ben got everything Chad wanted. Still, he didn’t show how upset he was because when it came down to it, Ben mattered more to Chad than his own anger. Being a friend came before his own insecurities. Instead of doing what he wanted to do, he clapped him on the shoulder and offered a smile, letting out a laugh.

“Go for it, she’ll say yes. I think she feels the same way about you too.” Chad really did believe she would, Audrey was more flirty with both Ben and himself than she was with anyone else. But she wanted to be a queen one day and marrying Ben was the only way to do that. Chad didn’t think that would be the only reason she would say yes, she had an emotional connection with Ben, one that was more than just friends had.  
Ben looked up with this innocent puppy dog look on his face, “You really think so?”

Chad just nodded, “Yeah, especially if you do something huge and public, Audrey loves that kind of thing.”

Chad was right of course and the next day when Ben asked her out on a date she squealed with excitement, pulling him close and kissing him on the lips. He put on a smile, cheering for them, like he was supposed to because he wanted for them to be happy. They obviously were when they were together but whenever he saw them, it was just another stab in his heart. Flashes of pain, hurt, and jealousy because what he wanted more than anything in the world was just outside the reach of his fingertips. He thought things would change between the three of them but he wasn’t sure whether or not to be relieved or disappointed that they hadn’t. Sure, Audrey and Ben held hands all the time and she was constantly giving him short little pecks and yes, they went on dates just the two of them but some days it was easy to forget that anything had changed at all.

The media made it hard to forget about it entirely, he himself had dealt with them a lot in his life but never quite as much as Ben had. It was like they believed they had a right to know just what was happening in his relationship all the time and no matter where Chad looked online, he saw gossip magazine headlines, always with new information about the royal couple. There were times it almost felt forced from Chad’s point of view and while it was obvious they truly cared for each other, they seemed like they had worked better as friends.

This was only further enforced when Audrey would begin to complain about small things that Ben did when he wasn’t around. She would complain about how he struggled to just let certain things go and how he was always so intent on talking about something like the meaning of life whenever they were on a date instead of just enjoying it. Chad didn’t know why she hadn’t expected this, he thought it was a well known fact that Ben liked philosophical discussions and often would start one when he was one on one with someone. While Ben never vocalized a single complaint there would be times where Audrey would mention something about a party or push him to figure out what he was going to wear so they would be matching, and Chad could tell he’d be annoyed. He would always smile at her as she rambled on as if it were the most important thing in the world, which for her, it was. But Chad would always catch the glimpse of a grimace on Ben’s face whenever she did so. It was obvious things were tense but both of them were refusing to address it and he was certainly not going to get involved in it.

When Ben explained his proclamation to them before he did to the rest of the world, he thought that would end it and he couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope for himself. Audrey instantly started rambling about how it was a terrible idea and going to ruin everything Auradon had. Chad joined in on this entirely because he really did think it was a bad idea. Usually he agreed with Ben’s wants and hopes for the world but this was one time he didn’t. If anything Chad felt scared because these kids were villains, with how old they were now their parents would have taught them that being evil was what was right. They would have been taught to hate Auradon and everyone in it. Chad had heard the stories from his mother, these villains were despicable, people who deserved to be on the Isle. He tried to make Ben understand this but it proved to be pointless, he didn’t budge.

Within the week, he had made the announcement to the public and Chad’s fear shifted into terror. He could tell Audrey was scared too and by the way she clung to Ben’s side it was obvious she thought that she would be safer with him. He had guards and protection and while usually he didn’t travel around the school with them, security was going to be increased with the new incoming students. He didn’t need to meet them to know he would hate them, to know what they would be. Whether Ben wanted to admit it or not, Chad knew people were just like their parents, especially kids who had grown up on an island with years for their hatred to grow and develop.

Once he finally did meet them, in his mind, his theory was proven correct. They were obviously up to something and taking one glance at them anyone could see they couldn’t be trusted. But no matter how many times Chad tried to warn Ben, he was shot down again and again, told he needed to give them a chance. But they didn’t deserve one, maybe they weren’t born evil but they had grown up on the Isle for sixteen years which meant they must have had to be evil simply to survive there. He knew if he was in Ben’s position he would have them all sent back immediately, there were only a danger and he knew something bad was going to come out of it.

When Ben wouldn’t listen to reason, no matter how many times he or Audrey tried to tell him, Chad decided to take matters into his own hands. Ben had interacted the most with the worst of them all, the purple-haired girl named Mal. She was obviously some type of leader to them and when Chad looked into her eyes he only saw darkness. To protect those he cared about, he decided to take action. Perhaps it was some of his own fear that fueled him to do it. He had been on edge every since they got there and he just wanted everything to go back to normal, to what it should have been.

So, when the tardy bell rang and he still saw the Mal at her locker, obviously not interested in actually going to class, Chad figured it was the perfect opportunity to scare her off. If Ben wouldn’t send them back than maybe he could get them to leave on their own accord. He moved quickly, slamming her locker shut and causing her to quickly lean backwards, retracting her hand from inside so it wasn’t smashed.

“What the f-” Her eyes widened when she saw who it was before they narrowed in anger, “What do you want?”

“Listen. Go back to where you belong, no one wants you here.” He got closer, shoving her back into the locker, “I know you’re up to something and I’m not like Ben, most of us aren’t. I won’t just turn a blind eye to everything you’re doing.”

“I haven’t done anything.” Her tone was innocent but a single glance into her eyes revealed she was fuming.

“You’re already using magic which isn’t allowed here. You vandalized school property.” He motioned to the front of the locker, “You’re a villain and that’s all you’ll ever be, no one here will accept you so just go back.”

She simply smirked up at him, “Ben has been more than enthusiastic in making sure we’re all comfortable, I’d hate for him to hear I was being harassed.”

Chad let out a loud laugh, “You really think he’d choose you, you over me and his girlfriend? It’s your word against mine and not many people trust you here, even Ben is hesitant to blindly trust you. Why do you think he’s been following you around so much? Checking in one you? You think it’s out of the kindness of his heart? He doesn’t want his choice to backfire and I won’t let it.”

“Are you threatening me?” Mal asked, looking more amused by the situation than anything.

Chad took a small step back, “Yeah, I am. Stay away from here.”

In truth, he knew Ben really was checking up on Mal and her little evil friends because he cared but she didn’t know that, so he felt he could use it to his advantage. What was frustrating was that she didn’t seem fazed at all, as if what he had done was a completely normal occurrence and Chad realized that maybe it was for her back on the Isle. Still, he hoped he had succeeded in at least making her doubt Ben’s sincerity. The less she trusted him, the less time he would spend around her.

“That’s adorable. You Auradon kids have more bite than I was expecting.” The purple-haired girl left it at that before turning and walking away, turning down the hall so Chad no longer saw her.

It didn’t take long for the news to spread. Gossip might as well have been currency at Prep with how highly everyone seemed to value it. There had been no one else in the halls except for the two of them, but Chad liked to brag and apparently Mal had talked as well. The glares from her friends were enough to tell him that when he walked through the hall. It wasn’t until his Literature class with Ben the next day that he faced the consequences of the rumors and stories.

Class had just started and their teacher had already finished giving them instructions, it was a simple work day to read or discuss passages. Most kids usually took the opportunity to circle up and talk about whatever they wanted, switching to a topic that related to whatever novel they were reading when the teacher walked by. Ben was one of the only people in the class that spent the time working on homework and assignments so it surprised him when Ben got out of his seat and plopped down at the open desk next to Chad before he could move to the group of friends he usually spent the period talking with.

It didn’t take long to find out why. Ben had always been good at concealing his anger but him and Chad had gotten into a couple huge fights in the past. Meaning Chad had picked up on a few hints of when Ben was faking his positivity. Ben usually just put on a smile but the smile never reached his eyes and as Chad looked over at him, he saw that this was currently the case. It also was not difficult to figure out just why he was upset.

“So,” Ben breathed out, “I’ve been hearing some rumors and I didn’t want to assume anything so I figured I’d ask you. Things get so twisted around here, I try not to believe things right away.”

The words confirmed to Chad that he was actually upset and he hadn’t just been reading too much into it. He had noticed that Ben had the tendency to start to speak much more formally when he was doing everything in his power to not just yell and swear at whoever he was speaking to.

“What’d you hear?”

“Apparently, you cornered Mal and threatened her, trying to coerce her back to the Isle. Like I said, I’m inclined to just chalk it up to drama and false stories but it’s a serious issue. One I feel compelled to follow up on.”

Chad shot him a grin, hoping that a jovial attitude would calm the guy down. “No, I totally did it. It was great, actually. Maybe she’ll actually go back now and you won’t have to worry about any of them or worry about your reputation. It will get rid of a ton of the stress you’ve been having. And, I’ll finally be able to relax in my own school again.”

Ben was quiet for a moment, a bad sign. He simply shifted in his chair slightly and looked over at Chad, his smile completely gone and replaced with an angry gaze. “Do you realize how hard I’ve been working for this? Them going back would mean I did fail.” He said, his volume not above a whisper, his hands clenched in fists, “You threatened another student Chad, that’s grounds for suspension or worse. They go here now whether you like it or not and the last thing that I need right now is you making everything harder for them. If Fairy Godmother finds out about this, which she will because she always does, do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be for me to find a solution that’s adequate for her? Mal hasn’t done anything wrong and I’ve been working so hard to make sure they feel safe here and that they have an equal opportunity.”

He shook his head, “I planned this for months, Chad. Months, I have spent over my desk meticulously drawing out every possible solution to this and thinking up any possible problem that could occur and then a solution to that problem. But I hadn’t considered that my friend would be the one to attack them. They’re innocent Chad, how many times do I have to tell you and Audrey that? All of that work, this entire week of helping them transition is gone now. They were finally opening up and now they’ve closed themselves off again. It’s like they don’t trust me anymore.”

Ben was obviously hurt and Chad didn’t understand why his best friends was treating him as if he had betrayed him. He didn’t think it was that big of deal and even if Ben wasn’t yelling his emotions were portrayed well enough in his face, he always had been the type to wear them on his sleeve. For just a second, Chad almost felt guilty for doing it before he came back to reality and realized that Ben didn’t have the right to be so upset with him for just trying to help.

“Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m just trying to watch out for everyone here, do you really care more about a group of villains than you do your own friends?” Chad protested, his accusations causing anger to flare up in him as well.

“Do you?” Ben countered, “Because from the looks of it, you’ve been spending a lot more time thinking about them than you have me. Did you even consider what this could do?”

“Yeah, I had hoped it would end up in them going back to where they belong.”

“They don’t belong there.” He protested, obviously frustrated that he had to keep repeating it.

Chad stood, tired of him saying the same thing over and over again, always trying to push the idea that everyone was innocent and no one was evil. In Chad’s mind, if no one had been evil then there wouldn’t have been the need to create the Isle in the first place but it had been necessary. His own parent’s story was enough for him to know there were evil people, his mother grew up with three of them and two of which weren’t that much older than the VKs currently were at the time. He slammed his hand on the desk, gaining the attention from the others in the room, “Yes they do! They’re villains Ben and villains get sent to the Isle.”

Ben stood, but didn’t quite match his tone. He managed to not let his anger overtake him after Chad’s outburst and instead spoke at a normal volume. “They haven’t done anything wrong!”

“You don't know that! Do you have any idea what they did back on the Isle? No! They are a group of liars and thieves and they will ruin us.”  
“They won’t! You attacked an innocent person when she was at her locker minding her own business Chad. That doesn’t make you any better than a villain yourself.”

Fires were born from small beginnings, they always had been. Sometimes they were the result of minutes of quiet labor, trying to get one started out in the wilderness. Sometimes all it took was a scrap of paper and the right timing, a single strike of flint and steel. Ben’s comment was the spark and with that, with such a tiny little start, a fire was born.

Chad gave up on being quiet in that instant, instead yelling as loud as he pleased. The teacher had excused himself to the restroom minutes ago so he had time before he would be back. “Do you even hear yourself right now? That’s crazy! You’re putting them before everyone else, before your people. Before your friends and before your girlfriend. Do you think that Audrey doesn’t notice how you look at Mal? Because she does Ben.” Chad knew the comment would hurt him, that was the downside to being such close friends, when they argued they always aimed for the weakest point of the other. Chad knew what would hurt him most, what he was insecure about so it was the first thing he went to.

“What are you even talking about?! I don’t look at her in any way!” Even still there was shame in his words and Chad could tell he was still trying to keep his tone steady.

“You’re endangering everyone by letting them be here!” Chad shouted back. “You’re going to be king in about a week, do you really want to start things off this way? By scaring everyone and giving those worthless villains the chance to destroy Auradon?!”

“I love my people, I would never put them in harm’s way!” Ben’s volume increased slightly, not quite to the point of Chad’s just yet but still louder than Ben would usually allow himself to reach. At this point all eyes were on them and Chad was surprised to see Ben didn’t seem to care which meant he was so upset that his anger was the only thing he could focus on. “I can’t believe you would even suggest that! And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling them that?”

“I was wrong the night of your birthday last year, if this is how things are going to go, with you bringing over evil into Auradon than I was wrong. You’re going to be a terrible king, I mean what’s next? Taking down the barrier entirely?!”

For a second Ben didn’t look angry anymore, just hurt and a smug smile spread on Chad’s face. Satisfied that maybe just this once, he would win. But he thought that too fast and next thing he knew the Crown Prince was spinning his words back on him.

His face was red as he finally gave in to his own rage and started shouting like Chad, “Just because you’ll never be anything more than what you are now doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me. It’s not my fault you’re not going to be king, besides you even said it yourself. You’re not deserving of it anyways, you only care about yourself. It’s all you’ve ever cared about.”

Then, Chad did the one thing that was considered off limits, he punched Ben. Arguing and yelling with him was one thing, sure he could get in trouble for it but this was something more. This was a direct attack on the boy that was going to be king in a matter of a couple days and if Chad hurt Ben just a little too much, it was grounds for him to be sent to the Isle. But, in the moment he didn’t care. That was the thing about having grown up with him all his life, in his eyes most days he was simply just Ben. No title, just a normal friend who he fought with and laughed with. The gravity of just what he was doing hadn’t yet sunk in.

At this point he heard low cries and gasps from the rest of the kids in the class, they had caught onto it before Chad had. It was also at this moment that the teacher walked back in on the chaos.

“Fuck you!” Chad yelled, raising his fist to hit him again, “That’s not true!”

As he brought his arm forward, Ben dodged and quickly countered, punching Chad in the face as revenge. This caused the teacher, who had entered unbeknownst to Chad who was far too focused on the argument, to start yelling even louder, shouting at them to stop over and over again but they were both too absorbed in their fight to even care.

“No, fuck you.” Ben snarled resulting in another set of collective shouts from the students. He wasn’t one that ever swore and Chad was one of the few who had really ever heard him do it. “You don’t think about anyone besides yourself before you act.”

Chad heard a sickening crunch as Ben’s fist connected with his face once more and Chad dived forward, shoving him up against the wall so that he was pinned. “I wanted to stop them before they had the chance to hurt you or Audrey, to destroy your chances of ever being remembered in a positive light. Now I wish I hadn’t.”

Chad brought his knee up and slammed it into Ben’s abdomen causing him to double over slightly. “You get everything! You’re life is so perfect all the damn time. You act like you’re so willing to throw away the only two things I’ve ever wanted. It’s not fair!”

Ben managed to shove him off, landing a blow on him that Chad knew was going to leave a nasty bruise. It was easy to forget that the passive boy had been trained to fight but it showed here. He moved with grace and Chad couldn’t help but find how ironic it was, that even at this he was perfect.

“That’s what this is about?! You’re mad because I was lucky enough to be born in the right family? That I asked out Audrey?! We’ve been dating for almost a year now and you haven’t thought to maybe bring it up to me?” Ben still spoke intensely and with passion but his volume had lowered significantly.

“And risk sending you into some stress-induced nervous breakdown because your best friend is into your girlfriend? You couldn’t handle it Ben, you’d have broken up with her on the spot out of guilt and then trashed our room. Just like you did that one night. If you can’t even deal with the stress of being a prince without breaking down in your room to the point that you’re hyperventilating, how the hell are you supposed to rule a kingdom?”

Ben’s eyes widened in shock and Chad knew he had gone to far. This was something that was serious and was necessary for it to stay a secret and Chad had just used it as an opportunity for an insult.

“Ben, I didn’t mean-” Chad immediately said, trying to fix the damage he had just caused.

Ben was shaking and it wasn’t because he was about to cry, Chad didn’t think he had ever seen him so angry. When he next spoke, it wasn’t loud or thundering but a quiet whisper, as if his voice was threatening to crack. It was far more terrifying than hearing him scream. “How could you?” Then, for the first time in his life, Ben held his position over him. “And like you pointed out I’m about to be king, Chad. You should address me as such.”

There was silence for a moment before Chad’s head turned towards the door of the classroom at the sound of a new voice.

“I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my school, I do not care who it is.” Fairy Godmother’s shrill voice rang out just as Chad was about to respond, “Boys, my office, now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing that always bothered me about the movies was the mention of Ben's anger and his "inner beast" but when you actually see him and Mal fight in D2, it's not that bad. This is because it is a DCOM so I wanted to show a side of Ben where his anger is very prominent and this uncontrollable emotion like it's described as being. Plus he is still a teenager who, I imagine, would still swear like most teenagers, just mainly in secret more than anything. 
> 
> I think a lot of anger and violence is the result of fear and I think Chad would actually be pretty freaked out at the thought of the VKs. While the VKs were all taught to hate anything good, all of the Auradon kids were also taught to hate everyone on the Isle growing up, they were taught to fear them. He also seems like the type where his pride would get in the way and kind of fuel his anger, making him go a little too far and lash out in violence when he can't come up with a response.
> 
> I could also be completely wrong but either way, thanks for reading so far and putting up with how long-winded my writing tends to be!


	3. Ben and a Moment of Contemplation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben faces the aftermath of his argument with Chad and takes some time to reflect and think about what he really wants in life.

“This is all my fault and I am so sorry.” These were the first words spoken once the two of them were settled into the plush seats of her office. It surprised no one that they came from Ben, “Please, I take full responsibility for everything that happened.”

To say Ben was uncomfortable would have been an understatement. In fact never before in his life had he wanted to escape from the office so badly. He has spent plenty of time in it before, discussing ideas and plans with the fairy but he had never been in it for disciplinary reasons. Now he wished he wasn’t. Still he knew he would likely be in less trouble than Chad, he was busy with the VKs and the coronation and Ben could admit that recently all of his teachers had been slightly easier on him. None of them wanted to be the ones to correct the king or give him detention. Up until now, however, Ben has never caused a reason to be kicked out of class. Still he wanted to take the fall, even if he was still upset with Chad. Not to mention, he did blame himself, even if he wasn’t the first to yell or throw punches, he pushed him and wouldn’t just drop the subject like he should have.

“While you might be willing to take responsibility for this, that does not mean I will allow it.” She said, silencing Ben and causing him to sink back in his seat in embarrassment.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what to say about this situation but once I gather my bearings your parents will be contacted. While usually this type of behavior would require a sit down meeting with both of your parents present, I understand that may be impossible for this. I suppose a call will have to do.”

“But my parents don’t have time to-“ Chad protested.

“Perhaps you should have considered that before acting out.” She reprimanded and Ben watched Chad shrink back just as he had moments earlier.

The fairy didn’t even need to raise her voice a hair to be terrifying, her tone of voice and expressions did more than enough. Ben hadn’t ever heard her yell but there were plenty of students who were afraid of ever getting in trouble simply at the thought of seeing the woman angry. There were moments that Ben thought she could be more terrifying than his father. She let out a heavy sigh, not even trying to hide her disappointment.

“I simply don’t even know what to say to the two of you. What brought on this behavior?”

“It was me.” Ben quickly answered and looked over at Chad to see him nodding in agreement, “I heard a few rumors about Chad and I didn’t handle them as well as I should have.”

Fairy Godmother shifted in her seat, sitting up straighter than before, intrigued by what Ben was saying. “Are these rumors you talk about the ones pertaining to Chad attacking Mal?”

Ben’s lips parted, he didn’t want to lie but he also didn’t want to get Chad in more trouble than necessary. After all, he did want to fix things with his friend and somehow come back from what happened. Thankfully, Ben didn’t have to say a word and his eyes widened in surprise as Chad shifted in his seat and gave a small nod.

“Yeah, I don’t trust them. She was getting so close around Ben, I wanted to give her a warning to what could happen if she took advantage of his kindness.”

Fairy Godmother offered a weak smile, seemingly as surprised as Ben was at the fact that he had admitted to it. “While it is okay to be afraid or angry, or even want to protect your friends because of those fears, there are much better ways to deal with those feelings. As I’m sure Ben has pointed out to you, those children have not done anything wrong and they deserve to be trusted until they provide a reason not to be.”

Chad held back a small sigh and slumped deeper in his chair. “I just don’t think that them being here is a good idea.” He huffed with a roll of his eyes in Ben’s direction.

“Well, Mr. Charming we can’t go around treating others aggressively just because we might not like them or want them at our school. It is our duty to welcome them with kindness and warmth, as it is the right thing to do.”

“Fine,” he mumbled, “I’ll leave them alone but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna trust them.”

She gave a small nod, “Well it’s a start, we can work towards acceptance once we’ve finished this discussion.” She looked back over to Ben, “Continue.”

He cleared his throat in an attempt to sound a lot more confident than how he felt. That was one thing his father had taught him, that as a king he was going to doubt himself at times but he couldn’t allow for anyone else to know that he was having those doubts. “I said something I shouldn’t have, something I didn’t even mean,” Ben glanced over at Chad searching and hoping for some type of reaction but the blonde gave none. 

Holding in a sigh, he continued, “Chad punched me in the face because of it and honestly, Fairy Godmother, I deserved it. But I was just mad and upset so I didn’t let it go and I made things worse by just fighting back.”

She didn’t look convinced, “Acting out in violence is never justified, no matter what prompts it.”

Chad rolled his eyes, “Someone has to keep him in check and no one else seems to do it.” He sounded bitter and Ben felt his guilt continue to just grow and slowly replace his anger.

“He’s right.” Ben said, finally tearing his gaze away from his best friend. “I’ve gotten away with a lot recently, being excused from any type of tardy because I’ve been doing king stuff in preparation for my coronation and walking the VKs to their classes.”

Fairy Godmother frowned, “Ben, we discussed this. Sometimes your duties to the country will take precedence over your classes. You aren’t breaking any rules.”

Ben sighed, he wasn’t about to argue with her on the topic. She had a point but Ben wished he was capable of doing everything on time, doing it perfectly no matter what. It was frustrating that he couldn’t and even though everyone was telling him differently, he felt the need to be able to do it all in the limited time he had. Some days he wished he could just freeze time so he could manage to do everything he needed to do and still make it to all of his classes on time.

“You boys have been friends for so long, don’t let this ruin that. However, you both have broken some very important rules and you will have to deal with consequences. You both have detention every day for the next two weeks after your classes for four hours.”

“Four?!’ Chad exclaimed sitting up straighter and leaning forward. Fairy Godmother made a face and he swallowed, leaning back slightly and saying nothing more.

“Yes, Chad. Four. Unless you think it should be more?”

He shook his head, “No, sorry.”

“Good,” a small smile spread on her face once more, “We’ll be using the time to discuss some ways to deal with that anger and fear you feel and some outlets to get rid of it. I also encourage you both use the time to talk things out like adults.”

Ben shared a look with Chad and from the way he crossed his arms across his chest, it appeared as though he had no intentions of trying to fix anything. Ben was going to try whether he wanted to or not, he just hoped he’d manage to salvage their friendship. 

“We’ll be there.” Ben simply responded and her smiled changed to a more genuine one.

“Good. Now you two are dismissed but I will be making a phone call to both of your parents.”

Chad stood and immediately headed for the door, not even bothering to share a glance with Ben. He saw the blonde already reaching for his phone, it seemed as though he was going to try and beat Fairy Godmother in explaining what happened. It would probably work, his parents believed him and tended to defend him no matter what. As Ben was just about to reach the door he heard Fairy Godmother’s voice once more.

“Ben, could you stay for a moment longer? There is something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Despite it being posed like a question he knew it was a command and Ben knew very well that he was not in a position to turn her down despite just wanting to go back to his room and spend some time alone. It was the one thing he missed dearly, ever since his 15th birthday it seemed he had been so busy he hadn’t gotten a single moment with just himself. He missed the times where he could just sit in the library at his home, spending the day absorbed in a novel. Now he was always with someone, always having to be positive and happy with a smile on his face because he couldn’t let anyone down. With his coronation so close, he needed to act like a king at all times. There were enough people who had their doubts because of his age that he knew he would need to work even harder to prove himself worthy of the position. Not to mention, the VKs really did complicate things and whenever he saw Mal he couldn’t help but stare. Not because he wanted to leave Audrey for her but because he had once seen her in a dream, it was why he was so shocked to see her get out of the limo. He hadn’t thought the purple haired girl from his dreams was a real person.

Ben put on another smile as her turned back and looked over to her. “Of course. What do you want to talk about?”

“Close the door first, will you?” Her smile never faltered and try as he might, Ben couldn’t figure out what she wanted to discuss.

He followed through with her direction before sitting back down on the seat across from her desk, fidgeting with his hands uncomfortably. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still very much so in trouble for something. Besides the events of the fight he had no idea what it could be.

“I heard a comment from Chad towards the end of your argument.” She began and Ben felt his breath hitch in his throat, realizing why she had asked him to hang back.

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat down and nodded slowly at her, still keeping his smile warm and welcoming, trying not to allow for her to see how nervous he felt in reality.

“If you are struggling to deal with all of the stresses that have been put on you, it is okay to talk to others about or ask for help. There is no shame in talking about your worries or fears, in fact it could do much to help.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine, really. Chad didn’t know what he was saying, he was grasping at straws. He happened to see me at perhaps my lowest point but I’m doing okay.”

She looked skeptical and Ben shifted in his seat uncomfortable, he knew he wasn’t a good liar and it didn’t seem like she was going to believe him no matter what he said. Especially since what he had told her was a lie. While he was doing better, it wasn’t like his anxieties had disappeared entirely and it wasn’t like he never felt like he was losing control of everything. Most nights he couldn’t sleep and would just lay there awake, his hands shaking and his heart racing. He was always thinking about what he had to do next and he was scared because he knew it was only going to get harder after he was finally crowned. It made him almost wish that he could push back the date but he knew he couldn’t. Ben refused to let anyone down, no one could know how he felt.

“May I speak freely?”

“Of course, you know you always can.” Ben answered, feeling even more uncomfortable than before. 

This was a woman who had known his entire life and she had always been in a position of authority above him, all of his teachers had. While there were some things he didn’t need to ask permission for, they all treated him like any other student for the most part. But, recently they were all starting to treat him as if he was already king. He figured he practically already was, he had already made his first proclamation and passed his 16th birthday. The ceremony confirming it just hadn’t occurred yet. Now, all of his teachers and even Fairy Godmother spoke to him like he was above them and while he knew he technically was, it felt wrong. Ben wasn’t yet used to all of the adults asking him for permission on things or not saying something around him because they didn’t want to be punished for it. He wasn’t sure it was something he could ever get entirely used to.

“You are young. It is only expected that you might not know how to do everything yet and that you may need help. You have a lot going on in your life right now, Ben. Most kids your age have a hard enough time with everything that comes along with being a teenager, and that’s without any of the duties you are required to now do. There were times your father struggled or needed to talk with someone to get that stress and anger or anxiety out. There is no shame in it.”

She offered an encouraging smile, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, I think you are handling things wonderfully. Besides this event today, you’ve managed to start to bring everyone together, including those four children you had brought over from the Isle. They are doing better and better, I can tell in class. But, just because it may look like you are doing just perfect does not mean that you feel as though you are. I want you to know that I’m always here to talk or listen if you need it without judgement and in secret. If you choose to ask for help I won’t tell a soul.”

For just a moment, Ben considered it. Maybe talking really would help him, it could allow for things to be put into perspective or just to get things off his chest. Even though she said it would be a meeting without judgement, he knew that was impossible and he thought he’d probably just end up letting her down as well. He felt like if he was entirely honest about how little he had been sleeping and how hard things had been recently, they would all just be disappointed in him. The argument with Chad hadn’t helped. Now, the one person he felt like he might actually be able to open up with was distant and Ben wasn’t sure he could ever fix things. He was scared they would never be as close as they once were and he was beginning to wonder if maybe he had made a mistake in bringing the VKs over.

The instant the thought was in his mind, he pushed it out, silently chiding himself for even thinking such a thing. What he had done was right and he knew it, he could feel it in his heart. Maybe this time Chad was the one that was wrong and Ben would have to deal with the fact that he might never truly accept them, even if they hadn’t done anything wrong. Ben blamed himself for the fight but when he thought about it, every single argument they had ever gotten into, he had blamed himself. He couldn’t remember Chad once coming up to him and apologizing or taking responsibility for one. He always figured it was because he really was at fault, but this time he wasn’t so sure. Ben still thought he said some things he shouldn’t have and maybe even started the fight. But the VKs deserved for someone to defend them and stand up for them because Ben didn’t think that there was anyone else who was willing to. 

“I appreciate the offer but I’m doing okay Fairy Godmother. I can handle this, what happened today was personal between me and Chad. It doesn’t have anything to do with how I feel or how I think I’m managing things or how stressed I might be. This happens between the two of us every once in awhile, usually it just tends to be in private.” Ben assured her and he was grateful to see that even if she didn’t believe him she was willing to drop the subject.

“Well, alright.That’s all I wanted to talk about so you can go now. And don’t you think that I won’t be notifying your parents about what happened just because you apologized.”

Ben laughed as he stood and flashed her a smile, “Don’t worry, I wouldn't want you to do that. It’d hardly be fair.” 

With that, he finally left the office but immediately upon making it back to his dorm room he remembered something that he knew was going to make the day even worse. It was Friday, which meant he was supposed to go home for the weekend for the weekly family dinner. Most weeks he enjoyed it, he had always been close with his parents, but having to face them after what had just happened was not something he was looking forward to. His father had always been hard on him and he understood why, he needed to be prepared for this which meant he had always pushed him to do more. His dad had high expectations and his mother did as well and Ben wanted to achieve them. There were many people he didn’t want to disappoint, he was afraid of letting down the whole country, but the two people who he feared disappointing most of all were his parents. He just wanted them to be proud of him and his father was skeptical enough right now after his proclamation. 

Things with his father had always been complicated. Ben looked up to him, there was a point when he was a child that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up. But now he was older, and he had long discovered that he wasn’t his father and that was okay. He had noticed his father’s flaws, some of which had been passed on to him. He knew his father wasn’t perfect, that he was far from it, and he had disagreed with him plenty of times, but that didn’t mean he still didn’t look up to him. Some days it felt like they argued over every little thing but there would be weeks that could pass where they were just happy. Ben was sick of arguing with his father, with Chad, with everyone. He hated being angry, he hated how it made him feel and how he acted when he was. Most of the time he just wished it was impossible for him to get upset. 

He knew that if he wasn’t careful, dinner could just turn into an argument. One where he wouldn’t even have his mother’s support. That would maybe be the worst part of it all, not his father’s bellowing anger but his mother’s quiet disappointment. How she wouldn’t silence his father’s screaming but instead just nod along in agreement and when silence had settled among them she would finally speak up and hurt Ben more in one small sentence than his father did in his entire argument. It wasn’t like she was necessarily saying something with the intent to hurt him but just the realization that she didn’t believe in him, that he had let her down was far worse than if she had just simply yelled at him. Yelling was easy to put up with, it was easy to ignore after a certain point and to tune it out, Ben was used to yelling. But he didn’t think he could ever get used to seeing her when she reacted in such a way.

Ben had always been closer with his mother and much more like her as well. Though he had always been passionate about one day being king, a lot of his childhood was spent curled up in the expansive library. When he was really young, he would listen to his mother reading him stories and every single time he got so absorbed into them, hating when she would put the bookmark in and force him to finally go to bed. He had never been the rebellious type, but there were multiple occasions where he snuck out as a kid, long past his bedtime, simply so he could read another chapter. He felt that his mom was more accepting and even if she had been shocked at his proclamation, it almost seemed as though she was proud, not immediately upset. He knew that when they got the phone call from Fairy Godmother and at a time so close to his coronation, they would be devastated and embarrassed. 

Ever since Ben was a child, he had been expected to act more mature than the other children. It was a requirement for him to always be on his best behavior, to always be responsible, and to carry himself with confidence and poise. For as long as he could remember it had been drilled into him to always be smiling, welcoming, and warm to every single person, even if he might not like them. He was taught to never look down upon others if they were different, no matter what. He was told more times than he could count to have perfect posture, and he was instructed on how to speak to the media. Ben had to be the perfect child everyone thought he was because his parents were the rulers of the nation. It would reflect poorly on them if they couldn’t even raise their own son to be respectable. 

There were much smaller things that had occurred that had gotten him in the worst trouble with his parents. One time, he simply forgot to formally thank a family friend they were visiting for their hospitality and the entire way home his parents told him how rude it was, how it was embarrassing for them. Ben knew they meant well and that they really did just want him to be happy. He also was very aware now more than ever just how much stress and pressure his parents had on them. He was in the spotlight enough as it is, he couldn’t imagine how much more difficult it would be trying to make sure everything about your family was camera-ready all the time. His parents had wanted to avoid any type of scandal at all costs and, in Auradon, people were willing to grab onto anything that could possibly be drama of some kind. 

If there was one thing Ben knew, it was that nothing stayed contained to a classroom. Pulling out his cell phone only confirmed this as he found his notifications flooded with messages from friends or posts that had been sent to him relating to the fight. He wasn’t surprised people were making such a big deal out of it, Chad and him were like brothers and usually were just laughing when they were around each other. But this argument had brought up some pent up anger and annoyances, that much was obvious in the things Chad had said to him. Ben knew he should come up with how to clear away all of the talk on the issue and maybe even make a post of his own offering some type of explanation to stop all of the discussion, or at least all of the public discussion of the issue. 

There were plenty of issues that Ben knew others talked about when he wasn’t around but when he was around, people wouldn’t even bring it up, as if they were afraid of getting in trouble for talking about it. It was something that had always bothered him. It wasn’t that Ben didn’t understand what his position entailed but there was a part of him that wished that with certain friends and peers he would be considered Ben first and King second, not the other way around. 

Still, even if Ben knew that he should attempt to settle people down over the fight and assure them that everything was figured out, he didn’t particularly want to. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted to do. He stood there for a moment in the middle of the dorm, fiddling with the small device in his hands and debating just how bad it would be if he silenced the device for the rest of the day and just slid it into his pocket, ignoring it. Deciding it would likely result in a terrible outcome, he held in a heavy sigh and sent out a few messages to some people trying to clear the air, some publicly and some privately. Audrey had been texting him incessantly and while in the beginning she just seemed upset with him, blaming the whole ordeal on him, the more recent ones weren’t so accusatory and instead seemed worried. He instantly changed his mind, making some type of public statement on social media wasn’t the last thing he wanted to do, talking to Audrey was.

He enjoyed passing time with Audrey and he really did care about her but when it came to serious issues she was the last person he would go to. It was as if she refused entirely to have any type of serious conversation with him and when the VKs came, this only got worse. Whenever he even tried to bring something up or discuss his fears, she would instantly deflect it and change the subject to something trivial that they both knew didn’t matter. It was slowly becoming more and more frustrating and while it was easier to put up with when they were just friends, now that they were dating it was getting much more difficult. Not to mention, she had been about as supportive as Chad recently, which was to say, not at all. If anything, she just chided him for his decision, constantly complaining about it to him and trying to convince him that it was never going to work out, that one day they would betray his trust. 

It wouldn’t have been so bad if she did it in a different way. It wasn’t just her words that bothered Ben, but rather, how she delivered them. She talked down to him and he couldn’t help but feel as though she saw him as lesser than her or, at the very least, less intelligent than her. What made everything harder was that, at this point in the relationship, even though their conversations were mainly made up of small talk, their relationship as a whole had gotten extremely serious. He felt like it was just expected that they were going to get married. They had already been together for much longer than any of their parents had and Audrey dropped some very obvious hints that she wanted to get married. She would discuss themes and the colors she wanted for her wedding, one day enthusing to him about she was already going to be right next to him at his coronation and that it was only a matter of time until she stood by his side for forever.

The conversations and comments just made Ben uncomfortable. He knew he wanted to marry one day and start a family of his own, however, he wasn’t even close to ready to begin thinking about it. He had so much going on in his life and the last thing he felt ready for was to get married. He was still so young and even if his parents had gotten together so quickly, he didn’t see why that meant he had to rush into things before he felt ready. It almost felt like he didn’t have a choice in the matter with all of her jabbering about it. It made him feel guilty that he didn’t want to get married anytime soon, and he would never outright shoot down her comments, he tended to just sit there quietly and listen to her go on about it. Another thing that made him feel terrible was how one night, he sat there with her as she talked about how annoyed she was with the homework one of the teachers had assigned and the only thing he could think was that he didn’t want to marry her, now or ever for that matter.

He wasn’t happy. It had been going on for so long it was hard for him to realize the shift, to ascertain that the feeling he had in the pit of his stomach wasn’t just stress but a lack of joy. Ben had always been a happy kid with a smile plastered on his face, laughing constantly with everyone. Even up until recently he had been this way, this shining light that never seemed to fade. But now he was realizing that it had begun to fade, not enough for anyone else to notice, just him and it wasn’t because of the stress of everything he had going on. He couldn’t believe he thought it but there were times he felt as though everything was too perfect. The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became that this feeling had started to bother him soon after he started dating Audrey.

Both her and Chad asked Ben nearly every single day why he continued to spend time with the VKs or try and befriend them and he simply didn’t have an answer for them, not one they would ever want to hear or accept at least. He enjoyed spending time with the VKs, perhaps because they weren’t perfect. They were often quick-witted and cold, sticking only to each other, but all of them seemed a little broken. As if they had suffered much on the Isle and still carried that weight with them even though they were so far away from the place. He wondered if perhaps they did. 

They were interesting and unlike anyone Ben had ever met before, but all four of them looked like they needed a friend. Someone who knew Auradon well and could tell them about it and wouldn’t judge them for habits they still had from their time on the Isle. Ben wanted to be this person for them, he found that he was truly happy when he was around them. As he watched them all slowly grow and adjust and start to interact with everyone else, he couldn’t help but feel almost proud. Seeing Jay and Carlos get involved with Tourney was an unexpected surprise and the two of them fit perfectly into the team, whether Chad wanted to admit it or not. Practices were fun with them there and they didn’t ever feel like work. Even Evie seemed to be doing well in her science classes and it was obvious she fit right in, she was proving herself to be one of the smartest people Ben had met. 

Mal was a bit of an enigma though, she was much more withdrawn than the others and seemed to be focused on one specific thing. But, no matter how much he tried, Ben just couldn’t figure out what that one thing was. He had seen some of her art, both on her locker and off, and it was obvious she was good at it but it seemed to be more of something she did in passing, while bored in her classes. He pried for days, attempting to figure out what things interested her, what she was spending so much of her free time doing. The girl didn’t budge, she was stubborn, that much was obvious. More than anything, Ben wanted to know why he had dreamt of her all that time ago and if maybe the dream meant something after all.

When he was around the purple-haired girl, he felt something for her that he didn’t with anyone else, not even Audrey. He wouldn’t go so far as to claim it was a connection because she made it near impossible to truly connect on anything, but it was something. It felt like there were hundreds of unanswered questions Ben was just itching to find answers to and he hoped that one day he would. Until that day came, he would keep trying and attempt to get her to open up a little more. The four of them mattered to him, not because his reputation relied on them, but because he cared about who they were. He wanted to get to know them well enough that he could call them his friends, he wanted to see them be happy in Auradon, he wanted to mend the mistakes his father had made by never making any attempt to save the children. He wanted more than anything to make things right for them and give them the chance they had never received.

Glancing once more down at the messages from his girlfriend, he typed out a quick response, telling her that he was fine and he’d explain in person later. Afterwards, he decided to do the thing that he wanted to do, not the thing that everyone wanted for him to do and so he turned his phone off completely. Ben just wanted to be alone for a little bit and after being swarmed from all of the attention, he needed a short break. If he had been at home he would have just snuck off into the library but since he wasn’t, he instead made his way to the Enchanted Lake off of school grounds. It was a place always calm and peaceful, he would go there whenever he needed to clear his head and just figure things out. Right now, Ben felt confused and lost, constantly torn between doing what he felt in his heart was right or what his friends told him was right.

He sat there for a long time, his shoes and socks pulled off and his pants rolled up so he could sit with his legs dangling in the water. It might have seemed boring but with how much he had going on, boring felt nice. The place was his secret spot, he had never taken anyone before and he wasn’t sure if anyone else even knew about it. Ben was sure they did, it wasn’t like it was a secret, but most probably just didn’t feel like making the small drive out. Ben didn’t mind, in fact he was glad no one else seemed to frequent the beautiful place. 

Ben stayed until the latest possible moment he could. He would have to be leaving soon and he knew he was going to be in enough trouble as it was, he didn’t want to add being late on top of it. With a small sigh, he left the lake, the thoughts of how he was going to make things up to his parents already swirling around in his head once more. He knew a simple apology wouldn’t cut it this time, not after what had happened. He wanted to talk to Chad, reach out to him but he knew Chad probably wanted some space too. It was going to be a slow fix and not something either of them would recover from quickly, but Ben wanted to try. He didn’t want to lose his best friend over one big fight, he only hoped that his best friend felt the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally intended to have a pattern of sorts with the POV and switch between the three of them so this would have been Audrey's turn. However, I wanted to tie up Chapter 2 just a little bit more and add Ben's thoughts on it. But, I promise Audrey is next!


End file.
